The US Air Force has slapped Sony with an order for 2,200 PS3s, but not because they're the world's biggest Sack Boy fans.

Apparently the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, N.Y is looking into using the Cell Processors inside Sony's console to boost the military's high-performance computing systems because, according to techy people, it's the most cost-effective way to do so.

"With respect to cell processors, a single 1U server configured with two 3.2-GHz cell processors can cost up to $8k, while two Sony PS3s cost approximately $600," explain said techy people.

"Though a single 3.2-GHz cell processor can deliver over 200 GFLOPS, whereas the Sony PS3 configuration delivers approximately 150 GFLOPS, the approximately tenfold cost difference per GFLOP makes the Sony PS3 the only viable technology for HPC applications," they say in an Air Force document.

So if you want to build a super computer in your house, just Sellotape together a couple of thousand PS3s. Simples.